Isaiah Thomas: "It just didn't click for whatever reason"

Isaiah Thomas had a lot to say about the Cleveland Cavaliers despite saying “I’m not here to comment on [why his stint with the Cavs didn’t work out] too much”. Speaking at a media session after practicing with his newest team, the Los Angeles Lakers, Thomas said “for the most part, there were just a lot of new faces in that organization. It just didn’t click for whatever reason.”

Isaiah Thomas on why it didn’t work out with the #Cavs: "For the most part, there was a lot of new faces in that organization. It just didn't click for whatever reason. I'm not here to comment on that too much, but it is what it is.” #Lakers

Thomas continued to passively throw shade on the Cavaliers throughout the media session. While being asked about the Lakers young talent, Thomas mentioned their youth as a positive for when adversity hits. “That makes it easier on the floor when you go to battle. When adversity hits, you don’t go your separate ways”.

Isaiah Thomas on Lakers’ young talent: "That makes it easier on the floor when you go to battle. When you hit adversity, you don't go your separate ways. You keep going, & I think in this org everybody's here to play for each other & have a positive mindset when it comes to it."

Thomas mentioned feeling like the Cavs go their separate ways when adversity hits after an ugly 116-98 loss to the (18-37) Orlando Magic, who were playing without Aaron Gordon.

Thomas would go on to say that he feels like everyone in the Lakers organization is “here to play for each other”. He’d go into further detail in the media session, explaining what he meant when he said he “got [his] powers back” with the Lakers after his first game.

“That was the first time I was able to have the ball in my hands and make a play and have guys, I don’t know… You see the bench every time I was shooting, they were standing up cheering. That was the feeling I had in Boston where we were playing for each other and had happiness and joy for each other and that is big.”

In the midst of that same session though, Thomas would drop a quote that sums up exactly why he didn’t work out in Cleveland.

“I just want to put on a show and try to take over this city like I try to do [in] each and every city I’ve been in”, Thomas said.

Judging by the amount of shots he took during his time in Cleveland, he certainly wanted to be “the man” like he was in Boston. On a team where LeBron James and Kevin Love were rolling and deserving of the bulk of field goal attempts, that wasn’t going to happen. And their attempt to make it happen failed.

Unfortunately, Thomas’ inefficiency and ineffectiveness exacerbated what could have been the simple issue of Thomas’ initial discomfort in what should have been a tertiary role. The on-court play coupled with candid media sessions in which he consistently called out teammates and coaches caused a toxic level of discontent that began to seep through the Cavs veins like poison. Thus, he was traded to the Lakers.

Thomas averaged 14.7 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 turnovers in 15 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He shot 36.1 percent from the field, 25.6 percent from three-point range and 86.8 percent from the free-throw line during that time. Thomas also had the worst defensive rating on the Cleveland Cavaliers (120). The Cavs went 6-8 with Thomas as a starter, who 40.0 percent or below in 9 out of 15 total games.